Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the Universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.
– Plato
Humans have a built-in affinity towards music, and interestingly it begins even before birth!
Whether you are carrying a life in your womb or you’ve just brought it into the world, in either case you are the ultimate soother, to your child. So why not harness the powers of music to soothe your little one and yourself?
Although the research on the benefits of music on maternal and foetal health is in its nascent stage, there is sufficient evidence indicating that music helps in reducing stress and anxiety in mothers both prenatally and postnatally.
Music as a Stress Buster for Expecting Moms!
An expecting mother undergoes extreme physical and mental changes. The prenatal stress hormones might lead to anxiety, fatigue, discomfort and sleep troubles.
Studies suggest that it also causes release of cortisol which is potent to cross the placental barrier and directly affect the physiology of the fetus. To cut down the stress, Music works as a non-invasive therapy in contrast to medications.
Listening to soft or classical music can calm the nervous system, slow down the heart rate, thereby inducing sleep naturally. You can reap the benefits of Yoga with music which will give you inner peace which is also good for the baby.
Music enhances the mother-child bond
There is no better language than music; it is the best possible way to express and convey an emotional state.
For a child in the womb, the most significant and the least distorted is the voice of the mother. And studies show that a baby responds with an increased heart rate or body movement when the mother speaks or sings to it.
Infact a foetus becomes capable of storing auditory information in its long term memory, third trimester onwards. Which means the baby might be able to identify and calm down on the same music to which it was introduced months before birth.
So, either by singing or listening to some soothing classical music, you are interacting with your child, laying the foundation of a stronger mother-child bond.
Music aids in foetal and newborn’s brain development
Music stimulates the brain of the fetus. But, evidence on how music develops cognitive skills of a baby in the womb, remains anecdotal.
As per research, a mother’s state of anxiety, stress or depression might subject the foetus
to a range of neurodevelopmental problems. Which means whether directly or indirectly, exposure to music will have a positive impact on the overall growth and development of a baby in the womb.
So, if science is backing up the positive impacts of music on stress, it should be the most welcoming add on to your routine.
In a study conducted at the University of Washington, where the age of the babies was nine months, scientists observed that the baby group which was introduced to music had enhanced pattern recognition and better ability to predict rhythm as compared to their counterparts.
It was concluded that music affects and develops the same part of the brain which is affected while mastering a language.
Music helps New Mothers deal with postpartum stress and anxiety
Women entering into motherhood, especially for the first time, might experience a plethora of emotions. Taking care of your newborn is a beautiful and inexplicable phenomenon.
But, while your body is trying to heal after giving birth and with new responsibilities rolling in, you might feel tired, anxious and stressed out most of the time. A Taiwan study indicated the positive impacts of music on new mothers facing stress related issues.
Music alleviates mood and relaxes the brain. Infact, there is strong evidence that maternal singing is good for both mother and the baby. Seeing your baby doze off while listening to a lullaby, will give you a sense of deep satisfaction.
Briefing Up!
The impact of music for the well-being of an expecting or a new mother and her child, is culturally embedded, so much so that the instinct of soothing a child by a mother through lullabies comes naturally to her.
Since your voice will be the first to touch your baby’s heart and soul, equipping it with the powers of classical music will even better the impact. So let go of all the stress, and enjoy the goodness of learning classical music, with ipassio’s online singing lessons for mothers. With a pool of world-class educators in every genre, ipassio makes sure that your learning journey is exactly as you had imagined- Exceptional!
Take up learning music with ipassio at the convenience of your home and allow it to show its magic while you celebrate the best phase of your life singing and swaying with your newborn.